‘In my head, I started to justify myself. Maybe I felt disgusted because I was worried that this society wouldn’t accept him and that he would be bullied. But it didn’t make any sense.’

The forum, organized by students, featured four well-known figures in LGBT rights in Hong Kong. As well as Chao, lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan who has pushed for anti-discrimination legislation; Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) chair York Chow Yat-ngok and sociologist Suen Yiu-tung spoke.

Chow said that discrimination most effects working class LGBT people. ‘At the lowest rung, discrimination is the most difficult to prevent,’ he said.

‘Their boss may fire them, make them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed so that they feel a need to leave. The EOC handles a lot of these cases.’

‘Studying is not the students’ only responsibility. They also need to give back to society,’ said Cherry Yuen Chui-yee, one of the students who organized the event to raise awareness about LGBT issues.